Interpersonal Conflict: The Elements Of Conflict

The Elements of Conflict Conflict is more than just an argument that manifest itself through yelling and behavior it is a perception that there is something wrong and needs to be fixed or explained. There are many different paths that conflict can take and it all depends on the person and situation. The following is an analysis of a conflict in my own life and how it came to be, the different perceptions involved, and the path we choose to take as the conflict went on. I live with my mother, older sister and her son, my nephew. My sister works a lot but, unfortunately, can not afford daycare leaving the babysitting up to me and my mother. Basically, we have watched him the whole summer and while at first it was fine but as the days

Our personal feelings, me and mother discussed what we were feeling at length, felt like we were being taken advantage of. What we felt was being taken from us was a “perceived scarce resource” (Hocker & Wilmot 19) and the resource that we felt “as scarce are power and self-esteem” (Hocker & Wilmot 19). It seemed like my sister held all the power here and we were simply there to be used as free babysitters and that took a damaging toll on our self-esteem. In the book Interpersonal Conflict, it mentioned scenarios in which people say things that reflect the issue of power and self-esteem and when I read this scenario, “I won 't cover for her if she asks me again. She can find someone else to work the night shift when her kids get sick. (I feel taken advantage of. She only pays attention to me when she needs a favor.)” (qtd. Hocker & Wilmot 20) it sounded eerily similar to what we were going through. What we did not consider is that my sister 's view of the situation was different from our own. Her main

An avoidance spiral is when you try and distance yourself emotionally and physically from the person you are I conflict with. This lasted for a few week but eventually enough was enough and the tension was too much to bear. A day was set aside and we talked about what we felt was going on with both parties and what we could do to improve the situation. While the situation is not completely taken care of a half way point was met with hopeful improvements in the future. Looking back on the situation ways that could improve the management of conflict is to voice what the issue is before it becomes a bigger conflict. When you do not say what the problem is you are only allowing it to evolve into a larger issue than it already is. Voicing what was felt when it was felt instead of letting it simmer beneath the surface and grow into something so suffocating seems to be the best course of action in managing conflict in this case. Letting the other person involved in the conflict speak truthfully and express their perceptions of the situation along with doing the same for yourself is a stepping stone in the right direction to clearing away the